The Story

Brandi Carlile | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000NDIAWY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (202 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #999 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #49 in Music > Pop > Singer-Songwriters
  • #54 in Music > Folk
  • #93 in Music > Pop > Adult Alternative

Track Listings

1. Late Morning Lullaby

2. The Story

3. Turpentine

4. My Song

5. Wasted

6. Have You Ever

7. Josephine

8. Losing Heart

9. Cannonball

10. Until I Die

11. Downpour

12. Shadow on the Wall

13. Again Today

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Brandi Carlile story so far is fairly short: fresh-faced singer-song writer from rural Ravensdale, Washington, quietly releases a 2005 debut that has critics and fans reaching for their thesauruses searching for appropriate adjectives to describe her voice. Patsy Cline, Jeff Buckley, kd lang, Beth Orton, Linda Ronstadt, and Aimee Mann get name-checked as Carlile and her guitar-and-bass-playing Hanseroth twins-led band criss-cross the country for two years, first as openers, then as headliners. Cue the overproduced, disappointing follow-up album? Not so fast. On The Story, Carlile teams up with veteran roots producer T Bone Burnett, who brings in vintage equipment and strips down her sound. Instead of using overdubs, the new songs--most of which were already road-tested--are recorded live, giving the ballads and midtempo rockers a tough, uncompromising edge and a fuller, more aggressive attack. Echoes of country and folk color the bucolic "Have You Ever" and the unadorned acoustic "Cannonball," but it's the sweeping drama of the more epic-sounding "Until I Die," "Late Morning Lullaby," and the U2-styled "My Song" that leave the greatest lasting impressions. Carlile and Burnett make a perfect team: he allows her malleable voice room to soar in the mix while she brings sharp original songs that exude confidence, pride, and emotion. It's a combustive combination and one that results in a sophomore release every bit as good, and in many respects better, than her first. Stay tuned as the story continues. --Hal Horowitz

Brandi Pics

Product Description

On her new album, The Story, Brandi Carlile opens up her heart, soul, and psyche in a series of memorable songs that invite you into her world. The intensity and authenticity of her music brought her to the attention of the Grammy Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett (Counting Crows, Roy Orbison) who came on-board to produce The Story. "This is the album I've always wanted to make," Brandi explains. "I love Elton John because his albums captured moments in time. My favorite records have the timeless feeling you get when a band locks itself in the studio for two weeks and comes out with a record."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

119 of 119 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's great when she jumps through the speakers and screams May 7, 2007

By Jesse Kornbluth TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

Brandi Carlile's second CD starts with a song that pretty much positions her for the knowing listener. That is, if you like Melissa Etheridge and Rosanne Cash and Emmylou Harris --- smart, sensitive singer-songwriters who can shout as well as whisper --- you're going to like this singer-songwriter too.

That is, she's pleasant. Accomplished. But derivative. And, thus, hardly essential.

The second song --- the title song --- begins. It's written by one of the twin brothers who are Carlile's house band. It rocks a little harder, and then, at 2 minutes and 56 seconds, it returns to its opening:

All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been

And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to

It's true...I was made for you

And as Brandi Carlile delivers those lines, something happens that I can't recall occurring for donkey's years. The singer doesn't "sing" the first few lines. She explodes out of your speakers. Looks you right in the eye. And flat-out screams.

Do you shiver? I did. And I'm the guy who likes a lot of emotion.

From there on, Brandi Carlile was as necessary to my life as caffeine. "I started losing sleep and gaining weight/And wishing I was ten again/So I could be your friend again." There's stuff like that in every song.

Thirteen songs. Love songs, all. If, that is, you define love as living in each other's guts, or trying to get there, or wondering why you're not there any more.... I adore authenticity, but this is more of it than I'm used to --- to pay attention to every song on this CD is to be forced to compare Carlile's emotional resources with your own.

But this CD is in no way harrowing. Carlile and her friends may slit a vein before they write, but as a piece of music, "The Story" is very pleasing. For every shout there's a gorgeous trill. For every heavy lyric, there's a clever melody. And for every heartache, there's a notion like "Your friends are never gone/if you look to the sky and pray."

It is entirely possible to listen to Brandi Carlile and think: up-and comer, pleasant voice, nice songs, great in the car and at parties. I hope I get there soon. For now, at 2:56 of "The Story," the world stops and a woman I'll never meet gets in my face to tell me what love costs. And whatever I'm doing, I honor her with my full attention. Read more ›

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The story has only begun (hopefully) March 30, 2007

By Carlos

Format:Audio CD

Brandi Carlile faces a dilemma and I bet she knows it. She's a little bit alternative, a little bit folk and a little bit country. This pretty much guarantees that mainstream radio, with it's segregated programming and lack of imagination, will probably ignore her. While she's certainly young and cute enough, she does'nt gyrate on stage and croon about her bedroom which means MTV will have no use for her either. Well, radio aand MTV's loss is our gain because Brandi Carlile might just have the most expressive and beautiful voice I've heard in a long time. I was blown away by the first song I heard from this album on a free sampler CD. It was the title track "The Story". What impressed me was Brandi's sudden launch into a harder edged rock sound, her powerful vocals almost cathartic. I was curious and maybe a bit apprehensive about whether the entire album would have the same sound. Well, I should have known better. Brandi is NOT one dimensional. This new CD picks up where her debut left off. It alternates between heartfelt ballads, Americana and midtempo rock ("Cannonball" being a particular favorite). The copyright dates on the songs are from 2001 through 2006 so this may be a collection of road-tested "trunk songs" i.e. songs Brandi and the twins have been playing live for a long time now. Regardless, Brandi Carlile can sing the birds out of the trees. Honestly, her voice is so mesmerizing and her use of it so artful that you have to wonder why she's not the top selling female artist in the country. As evidenced by the strength of her two CD's, I'd say Brandi's got a long and legendary career ahead of her.

Now I know what you're thinking, why not 5 stars then? Well look.... I'd give REVOLVER 5 stars...I'd give PET SOUNDS 5 stars, know what I mean?

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No sophomore slump here... April 3, 2007

By Randall J. Omdahl

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Brandi Carlile has been on the periphery of my radar for a few months now, and The Story has permanently converted me to one of the faithful. I keep playing the title track over and over again, just can't get this song out of my head. The sheer emotional power rips through your soul like an out-of-control freight train, stirring up heartache, lost love and painful past memories -- yet is healing and bittersweet all at once. And when the Hanseroth twins double-barrel power chords come crashing in on the chorus, the song just plain shreds. This ain't no bubblegum pop. The talent, wisdom, loss, torment and life experience present in her vocals contradicts her 23 years, and it appears that she has successfully channeled the spirit of Patsy Cline for a new generation. Thank you Brandi, I sincerely wish you a long and rewarding career. And for all of you listeners hungry for something different, do yourself a favor and buy this album right now -- as well as her excellent debut.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars (4.5 STARS) WHAT A VOICE - AND THAT'S NOT ALL April 30, 2007

By Colin Spence

Format:Audio CD

It never ceases to amaze me just how many fine singer/songwriters (particularly female artists) continue to emanate from the United States and Canada - it must be something to do with the North American psyche; 'The Story' is yet another outstanding example of this genre.

This album is described as 'live' - but this doesn't mean 'live in front of an audience', it means 'studio live' (i.e. without any post-recording electronic enhancements to 'paper over the cracks'); but fear not, it is almost 'perfect' without such embellishments and, anyway, this gives the music a very natural and authentic feel.

The general mood of the album is introspective and sombre (but not excessively so) and, if the album has any weakness, I'd say it was the lack of variability in mood. There is a mixture of slow to mid-tempo songs and, although there are no up-tempo songs to speak of, all have captivating, lilting melodies to ensure that the the album doesn't sound dour and gloomy. Instrumental accompaniment, on most tracks, combines semi-acoustic passages with the further addition of electric guitars and keyboards in others, and a couple of tracks also feature cello. Guitar accompaniment is provided by BC's longtime musical cohorts - Phil and Tim Hanseroth (plus BC herself on acoustic guitar). The smooth and rich harmony vocals also come courtesy of the 'twins' and BC (and, the 'Indigo Girls' on 'Cannonball').

BC has a wonderfully clear and resonant voice with just a hint of grittiness; it's a unique voice also - with traces of Patsy Cline, Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris (but with an 'earthier' texture than any of these singers - other reviewers have made comparisons with Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Nicks).... There is a lot of 'slow burning' passion and intensity about her singing which frequently features controlled changes in pitch (something that would be difficult to achieve for a lesser singer) - I think the comparison with Roy Orbison, made by at least one other reviewer, is very apt. It isn't easy to categorize her music - 'americana' with a slight 'indie' edge on some tracks, perhaps ?

I liked all of the tracks, here are some brief comments about selected ones (songwriters in brackets); please bear in mind that any comments about the lyrics are my personal interpretations only - they are not meant to be prescriptive :

LATE MORNING LULLABY (Brandi Carlile) - A song about shunning the 'real world' and seeking refuge in dreams. The song has a more 'poppy' character (and I mean this in a positive way) than most others.

THE STORY (Phil Hanseroth) - Reflections on a love lost and the loneliness that ensues. BC's voice breaks when changing pitch before the final chorus, but who cares ? - a minor flaw in some 50 minutes worth of otherwise quality music from a quality singer (and remember, this is a 'studio live' album).

MY SONG (Brandi Carlile) - A song with lyrics about having regrets for past mistakes made; without a doubt, this is an emotionally highly-charged song (the last verse in particular, when BC really bares her soul and 'gives it all she's got'). There's some amazing percussion also, towards the end of this song.

HAVE YOU EVER (Phil Hanseroth) - A gentle song with a very 'folksy' sound and a somewhat 'lighter' mood.

JOSEPHINE (Tim Hanseroth & Brandi Carlile) - A forlorn love song; features acoustic guitar and very subdued bass - no percussion; sublime harmony vocals. A song which is exquisite in it's simplicity.

AGAIN TODAY (Brandi Carlile) - For the first 3 minutes or so, this is a quiet song featuring synthesizers warbling and humming away in the background. After this, the sound becomes more strident as pulsating electric guitars 'kick in' - the effect is very dramatic. Although the track registers at 10:40, 'Again Today' is just under 5 minutes long; at 7 minutes into the track, a 'hidden' song commences (I think it's called 'Hiding My Heart').

If you like the music of any of the other artists mentioned in this review or, if you like some of the more contemporary 'alt-folk/alt-country' music that is surfacing these days, then I recommend that you, at least, give this album a listen. BC is virtually unknown in the UK and I don't know how popular she is in the US, so I can't be sure whether this album would have a wide appeal or not; I'd describe it as 'grown up music for grown ups' - I'm a 'grown up' (although my wife might sometimes dispute this) and it certainly appeals to me; 4.5 stars. Read more ›